CHAPTER SIX

STRANGERS

Quite a few shops had been reporting stolen Materias that Tifa was beginning to get disconcerted. It had been two days since Rufus' visit to the Seventh Heaven and she still hasn't gotten the call he promised. She tried to reach Barrett, Yuffie and even Vincent, but so far all she's gotten was voicemail. It seems like they were busy, caught in the middle of all the action. And here she was, cleaning glasses for her customers.

"Tifa!"

It seems awhile since she heard a familiar voice. Yuffie swung herself up into a bar stool as Tifa gave her a mug of her usual.

"I got your voice message but I totally forgot to call you back! Sorry!" She took a sip of her drink, and seemed to be enjoying herself.

"What's up, Yuffie?" Tifa asked seriously.

"I was in town investigating another shop. There's really no doubt in my mind that the people who have been fogging up the docks are also the ones stealing the Materias."

"I agree. By stealing the Materias, not only do they have a large supply, they also cut us off from having it," Tifa said.

Yuffie looked thoughtful, "That's a good point. I have a lot of leftover Materias from our old missions so I hadn't thought about that."

"They're going to be a bit difficult to defeat if they use Materias."

"So far we can't even trace them. Geeez this is such a pain!" Yuffie slumped over, he voice was muffled as she continued, "I know they're going to run out of Materias eventually but are we supposed to just wait for that to happen?"

"I thought a plan was being executed?" Tifa asked, surprised.

Yuffie shook her head, "It's harder than it looks. We're trying to figure out a way to solve this without involving innocent bystanders. But the way it is now…" Yuffie bit her lip.

"What's the matter?" Tifa asked, a feeling of dread building inside her.

"We've been working hard to keep this out of the news but…" Yuffie paused as she looked around. She lowered her voice as Tifa drew nearer to hear, "The children aren't the only ones who have been kidnapped. A few people have gone missing too. As in POOF! Disappeared from the face of the earth."

"All children?" She asked as she recalled what had happened before with the Geostigma-affected children.

Yuffie shook her head, "That's just it. There is no real pattern. People with random ages and jobs just disappeared with a trace."

"Then are we supposed to have been lucky to have seen what their agents look like?"

"I guess it gives us an idea. You'd think guys like that would be easy to track. I've asked around town. No one's seen anybody fitting such descriptions since that guy salivated all over the interrogation room," Yuffie said, trying to poke an olive with her toothpick.

"Maybe they've become more careful," Tifa suggested when her cellphone rang, "This is Tifa Lockhart."

"Miss Lockhart," came the drone of the deep voice from the other end, "This is Rufus Shinra. What time will you be able to close shop and join us for a meeting?"

"Where and what time?" Tifa said immediately.

"7PM tonight, at the Warehouse near the woods. Do you need an escort?" He said, a smile evident in his voice.

"I'm fine, thank you," and she snapped the phone shut and checked her watch. It was 10 minutes to 5PM.

"Was that Shinra?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa nodded, "It seems like we're going to make a move. Finally."


Cloud had been following the pattern of the stolen Materias. It would have been fruitful if only there was a pattern. The culprits had started with the shop nearest the dock, until they moved to the shops farther and farther away. At least they have an idea which shop will be hit next.

He recalled the day he had gone back to the hospital to visit Tifa. More than a week ago, he was incognito in black-rimmed glasses and a red cap he used to cover his hair. He found out from the front desk that Tifa had checked out earlier than is usual for most patients. He was a bit worried about this but Tifa was one of the strongest people he knew. He left just as the nurse asked for his name, and he went over to Seventh Heaven.

He watched from the trees a short distance away as carpenters began repairing the place. And he watched, as Tifa would sometimes come out to supervise. Something seemed to have changed about her demeanor. She moved more deliberate, calculated movements. 'To hide her sadness', Cloud guessed. Cloud tried to convince himself that he was not the cause of her unhappiness, and then he would leave for he could not bear looking at her anymore. He wanted to go to her, to tell her not to be sad. But for some reason he could not fathom, his feet brought him farther and farther away from her.

He had passed by one evening to see Rufus Shinra pulling up to Seventh Heaven alone in a sleek silver car. He found it unusual for Rufus Shinra to be alone, or that he would come and visit such a place. His instincts were telling him to go inside but for fear of revealing himself, he stayed in the darkness, hidden behind the trees. Rufus Shinra was inside a while before finally stepping out, an annoying half-smile on his lips. Cloud burned with the desire to wipe the smirk of his face.

But that's it. He burned with the desire and yet… He would turn his back and walk away, without doing anything, without even making his intentions known. He was a coward. And Tifa deserved better.

Brushing the thoughts aside, Cloud silently combed through the marketplace's Main Square. It was 5 in the afternoon and people were still out and about in their last minute errands before evening settled. He wore a black cap over his head, his black-rimmed glasses making him look like a visiting scholar, or at least that's what the baker told him when he bought his breakfast danish. He had changed out of his usual black garb into a pair brown pants and a grey hoodie. He thought he looked unrecognizable. The last time he wore clothes like these he was a kid verging on his teenage years.

He rounded a corner, danish in hand, and had instinctively hidden behind a wooden pole when he saw Yuffie exiting a Materia shop on Main Square. 'As expected, Yuffie has predicted that this shop would be hit next. I wonder if they'll send people out to guard this place,' he thought.

He looked around and saw some familiar faces, drinking coffee or reading newspapers in nearby cafes. He had seen some of these men when he visited the Warehouse to interrogate Denzel and Marlene's kidnapper. It seems they are watching the shop undercover. Taking one last look at them, Cloud saw he had caught the eye of one of the undercover guards. He quickly turned around and walked out of sight, realizing he could have been mistaken for a scoundrel in his current garb.

As he was walking back the direction he came, he sighted flowing black hair turning round a corner, toward a less frequented area of the marketplace. He walked as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion. He picked out a nearby alleyway where he could watch her without being seen. Tifa was bent over the ground, looking intently at something. He saw her push off some wooden boxes and exclaim. He realized this was the shop that had most recently been robbed of Materia. While Yuffie was busy with the next possible target, Tifa was investigating the old one.

Tifa was now up on her feet, dialing on her phone. Her face was serious, determined and almost triumphant. Cloud always liked this expression on her, "Yuffie, can you come round here for a second? I found something," she turned her back to him, "A footprint."

She clicked off her phone and bent down to check the ground. 'If Yuffie is coming, she would surely see me here…' Cloud thought. He pushed himself further into the darkness of the alley.

"We missed a footprint?" Yuffie said in a hiss, a bit shocked, as she approached Tifa. "It's a big one," She observed, "Most likely male."

Tifa nodded, "It was half-hidden by these boxes. It was easy to miss. I was lucky."

"You realize this is the first trace of them we've found since we started investigating," Yuffie said, feeling proud of her friend.

"Assuming it is a footprint of one of those men," Tifa shrugged. "I can feel faint traces of Materia remnants, but it's nothing uncommon, seeing as this is a Materia Shop."

"Like Shinra keeps saying, any small type of clue is welcome. I'll call it in," Yuffie said as she walked back to the Main Square.

'Shinra?' Cloud thought, surprised, 'Shinra himself is involved?' He recalled the night he had visited Tifa in the Seventh Heaven. Shinra operates in a shady way, Cloud concluded. The fact that he is involved doesn't explain why he visited Tifa alone.

Cloud watched as Tifa continued looking around, moving boxes and checking for any more hidden footprints. She heaved a weary sigh and although she had her back to him, Cloud could see in his mind the downcast eyes Tifa must have right now. The desire to show himself and comfort her came to him again. He stepped out of the shadows silently, trying to compose himself. Suddenly Tifa stood up and turned to his direction. Surprise registered on her face as she was not expecting to find a person standing there. Cloud was stunned and didn't know what to do. He just stood there, unmoving.

"Night is falling," Tifa said, acknowledging his presence. Her eyes had taken a suspicious glint but her voice betrayed her kindness, "It might be best to be on your way home."

He nodded at her and pulled down his cap to further hide his face. Tifa may not have recognizd hom from a distance, but she might if she looked closely. Apparently he wasn't really ready to reveal himself to her yet.

Tifa started walking his way, toward the Main Square, and he began walking toward the opposite end. Cloud felt every muscle in his body tighten. The tension built up in his chest as they brushed against each other. He realized he had been longing to be this close to Tifa since the day he ran away from her. A voice in his head laughed an ironic, bitter laugh. It was laughing at him; laughing at the mess that is his mind; at the whole situation he foolishly brought upon himself.

"Tifa," he whispered involuntarily, and realizing this, immediately wanted to take it back. He knew Tifa had a sharp ear.

He heard her whirl around and knew immediately that she had heard him. But he kept walking.

'That's right, Cloud. We've been here before,' mocked his mind, 'Walk away.'


Author's Notes: Here's a conversation going on in my head right now, in case you were curious.

You, "Oh she updated so soon? It's a miracle!"

Me, "I know, right? My senior year in university is about to start. So not looking forward to being a bum after I graduate! D:"

Anywho, I can't believe I turned Cloud into this creepy stalker dude lol. And my keyboard's effed up so I'm sorry if some sort of typo turns up there. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm thinking of sinister things to chuck into this story. Muahahaha!